WASHINGTON -- Candidates trailing the front runners in the Democratic presidential primary race have begun emphasizing their experience in the area of U.S. foreign policy.

The shift in focus follows a foreign policy spat that erupted between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama after Obama made remarks during a debate that Clinton called "naive," The Washington Times reported Monday.

The tiff has given second-tier hopefuls like Sens. Joseph Biden of Delaware and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut a chance to emphasize their decades of experience in foreign policy matters.

"If we’re going to regain our national security and restore our position in the world, it will take strong, proven leadership," Sen. Dodd said.

Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Fox News the Clinton-Obama dispute "does raise questions about whether or not the future leader of the United States of America, whoever among us that may be, gets a sense of what’s going on."